Wonderful Webinars Offered by Understood.org

Time Management, Organization, and Attention: Your Questions Answered Thursday, February 6 at 12:00pm ET Understood Expert: Kristin J. Carothers, PhD RSVP

Processing Speed: Helping Your Child Keep Up This Semester Monday, February 10 at 12:00pm ET Understood Expert: Ellen Braaten, PhD RSVP

My Child Is Falling Behind in School. Now What? Thursday, February 20 at 12:00pm ET Understood Expert: Mark J. Griffin, PhD RSVP

Breaking the Cycle of Learning and Behavior Challenges Monday, February 24 at 12:00pm ET Understood Expert: Jerome Schultz, PhD RSVP

Save the Dates!

Save the dates: Join Ohio PTA President, Ana Chapman and Ohio PTA Membership Chair, Janice Wanko, for a wonderful hour of Membership tips, tools, and treats! The hour will include a deeper dive into membership topics and strategies from the best practices of a featured local unit along with Ohio and National PTA sharing ideas. Look for registration information soon. Also, those registered by the Monday before the event and who are in attendance on the Zoom Webinar, will be eligible for a $25 Amazon e-gift card. Winner will be drawn at the end of the presentation and must be on when drawing occurs.

Ohio PTA VP of Leadership Returns Home

By John Benson, special to cleveland.com



“We do a lot of serving here every day in our community, but sometimes we need to go outside of our area or to another country,” Revay said. “The idea is to just keep that attitude of servant leadership and to keep building relationships in other places.”

Cleveland.com Story

114th Convention & Exhibition

Convention information!

Reserve your hotel room right away.

National PTA's Position and Advocacy on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Immigration

Worth watching - National PTA signed on to this case pending in the U.S. Supreme Court. Good information to know.👍🇺🇸

You have to register in order to see webinar instantly.
Register and View Here

https://www.pta.org/home/advocacy/ptas-positions/Individual-Position-Statements/position-statement---separation-of-undocumented-children-and-families

Advocacy Alert: Action Needed on EdChoice Vouchers!

Source: Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators

Advocacy Alert: Action Needed on EdChoice Vouchers!

Increases in EdChoice voucher deductions from school districts' payments, policy changes in the recent biennial budget bill (H.B. 166), along with other factors/policies implemented over the past decade, have come together to create a devastating result for public education. A steering committee made up of members of BASA, OASBO, and OSBA has met to come up with a short-term list that can be proposed for immediate action in the Ohio General Assembly.  

Click here for the short-term list.

Now is the time for advocacy to create a sense of urgency among lawmakers. Contact your legislators today and urge them to support these short-term legislative changes. Also, share with them how increases in the number of EdChoice vouchers are affecting your district. Your action is needed immediately because the legislature's time in session will be limited in the coming weeks. The steering committee is hopeful changes can provide relief for school districts yet this school year.

Need help finding contact information for your legislators? Click here to use the Ohio General Assembly website.

https://www.votervoice.net/OHPTA/campaigns/70339/respond

OHIO PTA POSITION STATEMENT OPPOSING THE STATE OF OHIO EdCHOICE SCHOLARSHIP (VOUCHER) PROGRAM

Please share with Ohio elected officials, PTA units, councils, school boards, on social media, parents, guardians, and other stakeholders.

Position Statement PDF

Many school districts in Ohio are facing a funding crisis due to unfunded private school voucher deductions. For those districts, this budget shortfall means larger classes, older textbooks and technology, and fewer school counselors and nurses. OFT now has a five point plan we are asking the legislature to adopt immediately to assist the school districts that have been most affected by these policies.

Contact your legislators today and demand immediate action to alleviate this crisis, while we also keep an eye on permanent long-term solutions to keep public education funds in public schools.  

We are urging the legislature to take the following five steps:

1. Remove the budget language in HB 166 that expanded vouchers for more grades, and restore voucher language to pre-budget language.
2. Limit voucher eligibility to buildings that qualified based on report cards in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. Stop the practice of looking back at older report cards for expanded eligibility.
3. Use the Expansion (income) vouchers as the funding default instead of the EdChoice voucher, to limit unfunded voucher deductions from district funds.
4. Restore funding for school districts that have lost funds to voucher students who were not part of their 2019 enrollment.
5. Cap the loss of funds for high poverty districts at 5% and other school districts at 10%.

These actions will not permanently fix the vouchers problem in Ohio, however they will provide immediate and significant assistance to the students, parents, and teachers in school districts that have been most impacted by the legislature's reckless voucher expansion.

Please contact your legislators today, and then forward this email to your friends and family and make sure they take action as well.

While your school district or workplace may not be affected by this policy, we need you to add your voice in support of your union sisters and brothers, the students they educate, and the communities they serve.

In Solidarity,

Melissa Cropper, President

Ohio Federation of Teachers

Join the Ohio PTA Board

Are you enthusiastic about PTA, committed to children, and looking for a new challenge? The Ohio PTA Nominating Committee is seeking highly qualified and motivated leaders to serve on the Ohio PTA Board of Directors for the 2019-2021 term.
The following Board of Directors positions are open:
• District 1
• District 3
• District 4
• District 6
• District 18
• District 19

Serving on the Ohio PTA Board of Directors requires a state-level commitment and vision and is a truly rewarding experience.

Persons who desire to be a powerful voice, a relevant resource, and a strong advocate for all Ohio children are encouraged to apply. All Ohio PTA Board members are unpaid volunteers.

Please email the Nominating Committee Chair at rebeckaadams@fuse.net for an application, a copy of Board job descriptions, or for more information.

OPTA_Board_Potential_Leader_Form 2020

You can also access via FB by joining the Ohio PTA H.U.B.

OHIO PTA POSITION STATEMENT OPPOSING THE STATE OF OHIO EdCHOICE SCHOLARSHIP (VOUCHER) PROGRAM

Please share with Ohio elected officials, PTA units, councils, school boards, on social media, parents, guardians, and other stakeholders.

Position Statement PDF

Ohio PTA Happenings!

Find out what is happening with Ohio PTA...stay connected.
Download the FLYER APP on your phone - look for Ohio PTA.

Cupp-Patterson Education Funding Proposal

Representative Dave Greenspan Announces Town Hall Meeting 
To Discuss Cupp-Patterson Education Funding Proposal

State Representative Dave Greenspan (R-Westlake) announced that he will hold a public town hall meeting in Westlake on Thursday, January 9 to discuss House Bill 305, also known as the Cupp-Patterson Education Funding Bill.

Representative Greenspan will begin the town hall at 7:00 p.m. at Westlake Elementary School, located at 27555 Center Ridge Road, Westlake, OH 44145. All members of the community are invited to attend and discuss the Cupp-Patterson education funding proposal. Rep. John Patterson (D-Jefferson), the bill’s joint sponsor, is also scheduled to participate.

“I look forward to meeting with our school officials in the Greater Cleveland area,” said Rep. Patterson. “A school funding formula that is fair, transparent, and predictable is critically important to our students and our communities to face the challenges that lie ahead.”

House Bill 305 was introduced on June 26 by State Representatives Bob Cupp (R-Lima) and John Patterson and is currently undergoing hearings in the House Finance Committee.

Important Membership Webinar

Wednesday, January 8, 2020 

7PM to 8PM

Zoom into Membership webinar

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